College Hoops Picks: Syracuse Orange @ Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown (No. 13 AP, No. 12 Coaches, 2-2, 11-3) continues their overly difficult beginning of conference play on Wednesday when they host Syracuse (No. 8 AP, No. 8 Coaches, 4-0, 16-1), one of the biggest surprises in the Big East this season and one of the hottest teams in the country.

The young Hoyas have had mixed success against ranked opponents so far this season, going 2-3 against Top 25 teams. When they have been successful, they have worn down opponents with their stifling defense and shot clock management on offense. When they have fallen behind or started trying to match their opponent's game instead of playing their own, though, they have struggled and looked lost.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has looked solid all season. Their only loss came from a 60-foot buzzer-beater against Cleveland State, and it seems hard to fault them for that. They have been successful despite a few bumps in the road this season (Eric Devendorf almost getting suspended for the rest of the season, just one example), and when some players have had off nights, others have stepped up.

The Hoyas will be the toughest Big East foe Syracuse has faced all season, so the game has potential to go in either direction.

Let's take a look at how the two teams stack up.

	Syracuse	Georgetown
Record:	16-1	11-3
BE Record:	4-0	2-2
PF:	81.3	74.1
PA:	66.9	59.8
FG %	.507	.478
FT %	.643	.737
3P %	.346	.332
RPG	40.8	34.4
SPG	8.1	8.3
TO	15.7	13.4

The Hoyas and Orange stack up pretty evenly against one another—the Hoyas have faced some tougher opponents than the Orange have, which is why their record is worse, but aside from that they are pretty even across the board.

Syracuse Key Players

Jonny Flynn (Sophomore, Guard)

Flynn is averaging a team-high 16.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He gained national attention last year when he excelled while playing almost every minute of every game heading into the end of the season (after the Orange lost most of their roster for one reason or another). He has been the clear leader of the Orange this year.

Arinze Onuaku (Junior, Forward)

Onuaku has one of the toughest jobs for Syracuse this season—he has to guard the big men of the Big East. Wednesday is going to be his first real test when he takes on Greg Monroe, but for now he is averaging 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

Georgetown Key Players

Greg Monroe (Freshman, Center)

Monroe has lived up to his preseason hype, especially in big games. He shut down Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut, recorded his first double-double of the season against Notre Dame, and then grabbed his second one in the following game against Providence. He is second on the points list for the Hoyas, averaging 13.5, but leads Georgetown in rebounds with 6.3 RPG, steals with 2.0 SPG, and blocks with 1.8 BPG.

DaJuan Summers (Junior, Forward)

Summers leads the Hoyas in points per game with 14.7 and is shooting .449 from beyond the arc—not bad for a 6'8" forward. He was the only Hoya to be selected to the preseason All-Big East team and has lived up to the hype thus far.

Prediction

Current Line: Georgetown -6.5

Georgetown ATS: 5-4, 4-3 when favored
Syracuse ATS: 7-6, 3-0 when underdog

Both teams were picked to finish in the middle of the Big East this season, yet both teams have been surprisingly successful to date. Georgetown has lost three games so far this season, but they have all been to Top 25 teams. Syracuse, on the other hand, has a heartbreaking loss on its hands, and that's it. In all of the Hoyas' wins this season, they have covered this spread. I like Georgetown -6.5